A Complete Timeline Of R2-D2, The Most Important Droid In The Star Wars Galaxy
32 BBY: R2 Saves Queen Amidala's Cruiser While Escaping The Trade Federation Blockade
Photo: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace / 20th Century FoxWhat would Stars Wars be without R2? Seriously... The Phantom Menace wouldn't have been much of a movie without the cute little astromech droid. If R2 hadn't repaired the shield generator aboard the Naboo Royal Starship, would Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Queen Amidala have made it through the Trade Federation blockade alive? Probably not. And since The Phantom Menace is technically the first entry in the film franchise (from a storyline perspective) and those characters are pretty dang important to the overall plot, R2 is pretty fundamental to all of Star Wars being a thing.
It would be R2's heroic actions on the hull of the Naboo Royal Starship that would elevate him to a member of Padmé's entourage which, in turn, led him to meet a character who would help him form one of the most iconic film duos of all time: C-3PO.
32 BBY: R2 Meets C-3PO For The First Time While On Tatooine
Photo: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace / 20th Century FoxDid Star Wars fans need to see the event of R2-D2 and C-3PO meeting on the big screen for the first time? Probably not, but that doesn't make it any less heartwarming. Besides, that's like asking if Anakin Skywalker needed to be the one who created C-3PO, or wondering if Jar Jar Binks needed to ever exist in the first place... it doesn't matter. It's the reality we're living in.
This moment isn't necessarily the biggest in the lengthy history of R2, but it certainly is some fantastic fan service. Though, if we're on the subject, Threepio is entirely too naked for his own good.
32 BBY: R2 Was Accidentally Essential In Liberating Naboo With Anakin Skywalker Via An N-1 Starfighter
Photo: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace / 20th Century FoxThe climax of The Phantom Menace is when the 1999 film quits messing around and really kicks into full gear. You've got the iconic lightsaber fight set to John Williams's "Duel of the Fates." You've got the massive droid-Gungan fight on Naboo (marred just a little bit by Jar Jar's involvement). And you've got the prerequisite space fight between the Naboo pilots and the Trade Federation fleet.
And wouldn't you know it, Anakin Skywalker and R2-D2 end up playing a pretty big role in the liberation of Naboo when a pesky little thing called "autopilot" plops them right in the middle of the dogfight in space. R2 and Anakin promptly take out the Droid Control Ship, immediately winning the Battle of Naboo in the process.
28 BBY: R2 Accompanies Senator Amidala On Coruscant, Often Recording Meetings
Photo: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones / 20th Century FoxR2's life between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones wasn't the most exciting time in the little droid's eventful existence. Unless you find the Senate meetings during the prequel trilogy to be rip-roaring entertainment. There certainly are worse fates in Star Wars lore than being a personal assistant to Padmé Amidala, don't get us wrong, but R2 is a precocious little droid with a penchant for finding trouble.
The events just before The Phantom Menace and immediately following it are the downtime of R2's life, except for when he puts himself into low-power mode as seen in The Force Awakens. But we all need a good nap now and then.
22 BBY: R2 Saves Both Amidala And C-3PO During The Battle Of Geonosis
Photo: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones / 20th Century FoxSo, technically, R2 saved Padmé just before the Battle of Geonosis, but it deserves to be mentioned as part of said fight nonetheless. Things got hectic again for the little droid in Attack of the Clones as Padmé became the target of assassination attempts. R2 would be reunited with Anakin Skywalker and would end up on Geonosis, and things popped off.
When Padmé found herself about to be wiped out by molten metal in a droid factory, it was the lovable little droid who saved her life. And R2 technically restored Threepio to his natural state after his head was accidentally switched with that of a battle droid to give the kids something to laugh at throughout the film's climax.
22 BBY: R2 Helps Anakin Skywalker Rescue Jabba The Hutt's Son
Photo: Star Wars: The Clone Wars / Warner Bros. PicturesSometimes, you do things you don't want to do for the betterment of the greater good. Dealing with a crook like Jabba the Hutt is one of those things. To broker a truce between Jabba and the Republic, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano led a rescue mission to save Jabba's son, Rotta, from Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
The mission ended up being a little bit more complicated than they first thought (when isn't that the case?), as it turns out, Rotta's great-uncle Ziro helped set up the whole thing. R2, Anakin, and Ahsoka succeeded in their mission and successfully landed a truce between Jabba and the Republic in the process. Oh, and they saved an innocent little Huttling, as well.
22 BBY: R2 Fights The Traitorous R3-S6 To Escape From Skytop Station
Photo: The Clone Wars / Cartoon NetworkHave you ever wanted to watch a not-hand to not-hand fistfight between two R-series astromech droids? Of course, you have! And that's exactly what viewers got in "Duel of the Droids" from the first season of The Clone Wars. In this episode, R2 ends up battling R3-S6 - a Confederate traitor - in an adorable, little droid fight that ends with R3-S6 being sent out into the ether and eventually getting destroyed by a piece of broken debris whizzing by in the open air.
Throughout this episode and the one that preceded it, Anakin had suspicions that R3-S6 wasn't as loyal as he claimed to be. Knowing Anakin is famous for his instincts in this regard (*cough* trusting Palpatine *cough*), it is wild he managed to suss this out.
19 BBY: R2 Escorts Yoda To The Origin Of Life
Photo: The Clone Wars / Cartoon NetworkThere is something magical about seeing R2 on top of Yoda's modified starfighter. If you ignore the little green alien inside of it, it kind of seems like R2 has gotten himself a fancy new body with giant arms and no legs. That would be pretty cool. Anyway, Qui-Gon Jinn reached out to Yoda through the Force and told him to head to the "Origin of Life." Not one to take such a request lightly, Yoda promptly did so with R2 in tow.
This trek would lead to Yoda having visions of the Jedi Order's demise at the end of Revenge of the Sith and the eventual rise of the Galactic Empire via Palpatine's machinations. R2 wasn't privy to this information, but he was along for the ride!
19 BBY: R2 Joins Anakin Skywalker To Rescue Chancellor Palpatine During The Battle Of Coruscant
Photo: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith / 20th Century FoxHere is one instance where filmgoers might wish Obi-Wan, Anakin, and R2 weren't so great at being spacefaring heroes. The opening of Revenge of the Sith, where the Battle of Coruscant is raging, is all part of Palpatine's plan to turn Skywalker to the dark side of the Force and become his apprentice.
After our three heroes manage to locate the Chancellor and fight their way through General Grievous's forces, the bombastic first scenes of the film end with Anakin going against his better judgment at the behest of Palpatine to slay Count Dooku. This would mark the beginning of the end for the Republic and the Jedi Order. And R2 was there, people!
5 BBY: R2 Helps Bail Organa Sabotage A Weapons Deal Between Alderaan And The Empire
Photo: Star Wars Rebels / Disney XDIt turns out R2 is pretty dang good at helping out the Organa family. Five years before being sent to find Obi-Wan Kenobi by Leia Organa, the droid was secretly tasked with stopping the Imperial Armed Forces from getting a cadre of T-7 ion disruptors by Bail Organa, Leia's adoptive father.
Much to the surprise of no one, C-3PO both joined R2 on this mission and was completely kept in the dark. Because Threepio is an annoying do-gooder who cannot tell a lie... because his protocols forbid him to do so, but still.
0 BBY: R2 Takes The Death Star Plans To General Kenobi
Photo: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope / 20th Century FoxAh, Star Wars... or is it A New Hope? Let's just split the difference and call it Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, shall we? The 1977 original film that turned a little astromech droid from a galaxy far, far away into science fiction royalty. With his slow rate of movement, fiery attitude, and penchant for speaking his mind with the bleeps and bloops, R2 rolled his way into the hearts and minds of fans around the world.
R2-D2 and C-3PO kick off the original Star Wars trilogy after R2 is given instructions to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, something Threepio is unaware of. R2 obviously ends up completing his mission against all odds, because that is just what the little droid does.
0 BBY: R2 Plays A Critical Role In Helping Luke Skywalker Stop The First Death Star
Photo: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope / 20th Century FoxThe climax of A New Hope has stood the test of time as one of the most exhilarating sequences ever put to film. Watching the end of the 1977 classic is just as incredible now as it was then, and who is in the middle of all the Death Star-related chaos with Luke Skywalker? Well, it's R2, as is to be expected.
R2-D2 ends up getting short-circuited by a laser hit from Darth Vader himself, which makes Luke's father even more of a villain in our eyes. Who would want to hurt an adorable, little droid like R2? Especially with all the history Anakin and R2 have from his pre-Vader days. Luke manages to take out the Death Star regardless, and R2 gets repaired after the fight is over and done with.
3 ABY: R2 Travels With Luke Skywalker To Meet With Yoda On Dagobah
Photo: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back / 20th Century FoxThere is something endearing about Frank Oz's original portrayal of Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. This Yoda is both serious and comical and is incredibly brought to life via masterful puppeteering by Oz and his puppeteering team. The lackluster CGI of the prequel trilogy has nothing on this Yoda, there's no doubt about it.
R2 joins Luke as he seeks Jedi training from Master Yoda in the overgrown swamps of Dagobah. R2 is pulled into a swamp and nearly eaten alive by a dragonsnake for his trouble, as well. R2 would later help his friends escape Cloud City and assist in rescuing Luke after Darth Vader cuts his hand off in battle.
4 ABY: R2 Is Essential In The Plot To Help The Rebels Free Han Solo From Jabba The Hutt's Clutches
Photo: Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi / 20th Century FoxReturn of the Jedi kicks off with our heroes attempting to rescue Han Solo from his imprisonment at the hands of Jabba the Hutt. Luke and the rest of the crew let R2 in on the plan to save Han, again keeping Threepio in the dark. R2 becomes a waiter droid under Jabba's employ while things seem to take a turn for the worse as Luke, Han, and Chewie are meant to be sacrificed into a Sarlacc pit.
Of course, everything really is just peachy keen as R2 has Luke's lightsaber hidden in his person. The Rebels end up taking down Jabba, freeing Han, and jetting off into the galaxy to stop the Empire once and for all. R2 really does have an eventful time throughout the Skywalker Saga, huh?
4 ABY: R2 Short-Circuits During The Battle Of Endor
Photo: Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi / 20th Century FoxThe Battle of Endor was not kind to little R2. During the Rebel assault on the Empire's Death Star shield generator, located on the Forest Moon of Endor, R2 is tasked with opening the generator's blast door. Opening doors is something we've seen R2 do a dozen times over... he could do this in his sleep. If he wasn't being shot at, that is.
Alas, R2 gets hit with blaster fire and short-circuits in a sea of electricity. The Rebels manage to trick the Imperials into opening the blast doors anyway, so it isn't a big deal that the droid is out of commission for the majority of the fight. He ends up being repaired, again, but it can't have been fun for R2 to go through such an ordeal just to open a measly door.
Pre-34 ABY: R2 Goes Into Low-Power Mode After Years At Skywalker's Side As Luke Goes Into Self-Imposed Exile
Photo: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens / Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesPost-Return of the Jedi, R2 continued to pal around the galaxy with Luke Skywalker. He met Grogu during that now-infamous scene at the end of the second season of The Mandalorian where Luke wrecked shop to get to "Baby Yoda" in order to train him in the ways of the Force. He was there when Luke began rebuilding the Jedi Order from scratch. And he was there when Kylo Ren fell to the dark side.
After Luke put himself into exile as he struggled with his failures to train the next generation of Jedi, R2 went into low-power mode after years of operating without taking any time off. It turns out droids need a little maintenance every now and then, and R2 galavanted around the galaxy without ever finding time for himself to recuperate.
34 ABY: Helps Lead The Resistance To Luke's Location After Years Of Sleep
Photo: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures"Sleep" is a relative term here. Is being put into low-power mode the same thing as sleeping? We'd like to think it is. Anyway, R2 perks back up at the end of The Force Awakens to help the Resistance locate Luke Skywalker so he can train Rey and help stop the First Order. Without R2's crucial part of the map, the Resistance wouldn't have been able to find Luke as easily.
Would they have been able to search every single planet in the missing part of the map? Probably? But who has that kind of time and resources? That's like finding a needle in a haystack. R2 saves the day again, people.
35 ABY: R2 Restores C-3PO's Memory After It Is Wiped And Joins Poe Dameron For The Assault On Exegol
Photo: Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker / Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesIn one of The Rise of Skywalker's numerous "not-deaths," C-3PO ends up getting his memory wiped so our heroes can bypass his protocols, letting him translate a Sith artifact. But much like Chewie's not-death, Rey's not-death, and Kylo Ren's not-death before eventually dying in the end anyway, this memory-wiping is undone by the end of the film. Because our favorite little droid ends up restoring Threepio's memory anyway!
Oh, and R2 joins Poe Dameron during the climactic Assault on Exegol, adding to the lengthy list of very important battles R2 joined in on over the history of the franchise. For one little astromech droid, R2-D2 definitely left his mark on the Star Wars series in a major way.
